A Harmonious Society, Is It Possible? (Candide 16-20)

Chapters 16-20 continue Candide and Cacambo's story after having killed the Reverend. I find that Candide acts too rashly, despite the fact that he ia a very educated being. He doesn't take time to think about his actions and ends up in really tough situations, where he's being chased for murdering a Reverend and an Inquisitor. Maybe Voltaire is criticizing society for not thinking before they act, for being too naïve and for acting too rashly instead of taking time to think on what can be made the best decision. I also noticed that he is being chased mainly for killing two high figures in the Church, and in governance. What of the third man? Is he not important at all? Voltaire is continuing his attacks on the Church by showing their power, but power in what? Is it their political power that Voltaire dislikes?

Candide used to constantly question Pangloss's idea of cause and effect and "everything happens for a reason. But when he kills the two men, instead of comforting himself by saying there's a reasomn for this, he cries and weeps and asks why do bad things happen to good people like him. Everyone makes mistakes, but I just think that Candide is too rash and stupid. Without Cacambo, the old woman or Pangloss, he would be completely lost and he would have no idea what to do. When they are attacked by the Oreillons and are about to be roasted and eaten by them, this is when Candide starts to focus on how beatiful life is and that the Oreillons must carry out their way of life. "Ah! What would Pangloss say if he were here to see how pure nature is formed?" (Voltaire) Pure? You're about to be eaten by people! He chooses the worst moments to praise how beatiful life is and to think about the wonders of cause and effect. And when the real cause and effect of the story happens, being it that he killed the Jesuit so he doesn't get eaten by the Oreillons for killing their enemy, here, he doesn't notice the cause and effect.

There something I found very interesting in chapter 16. This is when the two girls are being chased by the monkeys, Candide shoots them and Cacambo explains that those were the two ladies' lovers. Cacambo explains that "they [the monkeys] are the fourth part of a man as I am the Fourth part of a Spaniard." (Voltaire) Voltaire is saying that man and monkeys are related species, even though Darwin came much after him. Maybe Voltaire had the same beliefs and denied religion (if not wholely to a certain point), but he never published his ideas on it. I just found this very interesting.

Voltaire continues to show how great Europe is, but I think he is really trying to show that Western society needs to change, being that it is corrupt, power hungry, and is impulsively driven. Sure he shows good things about Europe. "You see this hemisphere is not better than the other." (Voltaire) Better in what ways? He fails to explain why though. I also found it kind of funny when Cacambo talks about the French. "...Frenchmen, for you know these gentry ramble all over the world." (Voltaire). Being that Voltaire himslef is French, why does he mention this? Perhaps he is trying to show a good image of France, showing that they have lots of power? Or is he trying to attack his country's dependance on "imperialism"?

Voltaire shows the corruptness of the Old World by showing us a type of utopia in South America, a fantastical, non-reachable place known as El Dorado. When Candide and Cacambo stumble in here, they are very surprised, given the fact that they see school children playing with precious stones, gold, rubies and emeralds, as if they were regular playtoys. This "perfect" society does not care for riches, they don't care for having more power than the other. Sure, they have a King, but he acts not like royalty, but rather as a part of the people, showing them they are all equal. They don't want to compete with neighboring societies, they just want to live their own life peacefully. Voltaire is showing how Europeans are corrupt, laden with the necessity of being better than each other and not seeing the true meaning of life. The European Man has been corrupted by power. The King of El Dorado mentions that their inaccesibility has "hitherto secured us from the rapacious fury of the people of Europe, ...fondness for the pebbles of our land...sake of which they would murder us all."(Voltaire) Europeans don't care about anybody, they just want their own well-being. Voltaire might be asking here for a change in European society, to have them look at how they really are. Take the Dutch captain at Surinam for example, he saw Candide was willing to pay lots of money, so he took as much as he could and ran away. Why is man reluctant to help one another? Is he so center-driven?

A Gilded Society (Candide 10-15)

During chapters 10 to 15, Candide, Cunegund and the Old woman escape to Cadiz, where they find passage on a ship headed to the New World, to the city of Buenos Ayres. On this trip is where the old woman begins to tell her story, to prove to Cunegund her life was harder. During this story, I find that Voltaire is making fun of the Church, mocking its power and hypocrisy. The Christian Church is supposed to be strict at following their own rules, they're peaceful and generous an whatnot. Something that I found quite funny was the fact that the Old woman mentioned she was the daughter of Pope Urban X. It shows that the Church doesn't follow its own principles and rules, concerning those of celibacy. Popes, despite being bound by rules of celibacy, have children. Also, when the old woman is describing when she ran off with her mother, she uses the words "...gilded, like the high altar of St. Peter's ..."(Voltaire). Its interesting that Voltaire would use these words, because it shows that the Church is something different to what it seems to be. Does Voltaire see the Church as a corrupt entity? Does he view it as something that doesn;t care about others but will do anything to be in control and power? "...Our men...like true Pope's soldiers..." (Voltaire). Pope's soldiers? I thought the Church was supposed to be peaceful and meant to protect others, even your enemy? Perhaps Voltaire is pointing out something that he views as a hypocrisy. There's also another line which uses the phrase "Christian governments" (Voltaire). Here he shows how Christians control everything and what they really want is power and to control. Still, it's not only in the case of the Christian Church. The old woman was taken throughout Africa, especially North Africa, a region of predominant Muslim faith. Even though, she, her mother and bridesmaids were treated horribly by their masters, these never stopped praying for their faith. I find it funny how Voltaire makes it implicit in the text that he mocks religious organizations.

Candide and Cunegund have a very similar history to the old woman. All of them lost their wealthy and high-style life because of foreign attacks made on them. They practically lost everything when their families and homes were attacked by others, they were forced to be slaves and they were treated horribly, Cunegund and the old woman by horrible masters and Candide by the Bulgarian army while being trained there. Still, Cunegund's fortunes change after being preferred by the governor of Buenos Ayres. Is there some meaning as to why she was the one who was chosen to move on with her life? Does Voltaire give her success over the other two because one wasn't royal blood and the other was "Christian" blood? I also find it interesting that both the old woman and Candide are forced to leave their normal lives and after some time in their new life the reunite with their masters, Pangloss and the italian guy who used to take care of the woman. Still, she was betrayed by him whereas Candide always lived by Pangloss's ideas.

Throughout this novel, one can see how the society of the time was reflected in the story. He shows how the Church officials have power, for example the portuguese Grand Inquisitor and the Jesuit Reverend of Paraguay (Cunegund's brother). He also seems to show how Europe was a higher society than others, how it was a more organized and civilized culture, except for the Bulgarians, who are shown as Barbarians. Africans described in the old woman's story are animals and barbarians who don't know how to act, they kill at will, they rape and they still treat slaves horribly. Indians in South American colonies are also shown as a lower kind. Locals are shown eating "coarse corn out of wooden dishes in the open air," while"the Reverend Father Commandant retired to his cool arbor." Eurpoeans, though being in a different land, still act as if they are meant to be there and civilize cultures there. Cities were designed by them but still Europeans see themselves as better. In one line, Cacambo mentions someone "who kills Spaniards in America and send them to heaven at Madrid." They see their own society as divine and perfect. Maybe Voltaire is also somehow tryinig to show negative points in Europe. Even though they are civilized, they still conquer others, they think too much of themselves, and they depend on the Church too much.

What is Real? Our beliefs or Something Else? (Candide 4-9)

I find that Voltaire's Candide is a hard novel to read. The reason for this is that Voltaire doesn't write like most authors, but he writes in a way that is straight to the point, without going to much into details, and it seems more of a summary at times. The chronological order is really hard to follow, except for when Cunegund mentions she's been nine months as a servant of Portuguese Inquisitor. At times it's hard to follow becauseof he way it's written, but with a few re-reads, it all comes together and it's much easier to understand.

I find it ironic that Candide was kicked out of the castle for kissing Cunegund, and he was "kidnapped" by Barbarians (they eventually went easy on him), and after he was free in Holland, the Barbarians looted the castle in Westphalia, where everyone was killed save Cunegund and Pangloss. Candide always seems to be saved by somebody who will eventually die or be killed. For example, the Anabaptist who helped Candide took both him and Pangloss in, he gave them a house, a job and shelter, but when they were going to Portugal in his boat, everyone drowned in a storm except Pangloss, Candide, and a sailor. Why is Candide always the one who gets the lesser of two evils? When they punished by the Inquisitor in Portugal, why did Pangloss get to be hanged and why did Candide only get flogged? Was it perhaps they knew Pangloss was a philosopher and his ideas went against the Church, while Candide was only an apprentice. Is this another way of Voltaire showing the horrors of the church, by burning philosophers or thinkers that have different ideas? Perhaps he was showing that there are other ways of learning, since he himself was a philosopher. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Voltaire wrote this novel, other reasons perhaps beign showing the ignorance of the common man, and how philosophers are the new thinkers of the world. Still, Candide's optimism and ignorance might show that not every philosopher is right and that people should not believe everything they hear.

I think that Candide might be getting confused as to what to believe. Yes, he is rescued by an old woman after being flogged by the Grand Inquisitor, and yes, he was able to see Cunegund again because what happened happened. Still, he begins to doubt that everything happens for a reason because his mentor was hanged and because he was forced to kill both a Jew and the Grand Inquisitor. He also doesn't understand why the looting and taking of the castle happened. He starts to doubt the teachings of his mentor. Maybe Candide will finally "wake up" from his ignorance, maybe he will discover finally about the new world and leave his happiness from being safe in the castle completely behind, but discover a new world with his new lover Cunegund.

Ignorance is Bliss (Candide Chapters 1-3)

Voltaire's novel Candide starts off by introducing us the main character, Candide, a young boy living in his supposed uncle(the Baron)'s castle in Westphalia, where he lives a good, healthy life and he recieves an education, based primarily on the philosophical teachings of his teacher, Pangloss. These teachings are based mainly on the philosophy of cause and effect, everything happens because of something else. "He could prove to admiration that there is no effect without a cause;" (Voltaire, Candide). These were the basic things that Candide learned. This idea of cause and effect might also bring us to the idea of destiny, or things happening to a person for a reason. What if Candide was meant to be thrown out of the castle for being in love with Cunigund? I think him being thrown out was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was bad in the sense that he had nowhere to, no money whatsoever and he was completely naïve and ignorant to everything. He actually believed in everything his master taught him and had no idea of the things that were going on in the "real world". He had no clue as to what was going on with the Bulgarians and war, and he had no knowledge of the Pope, or, for that matter, of religion. In the world outside of the castle, he was frowned upon for his ignorance. He was also able to be manipulated by others, something which cost him greatly when it came to the Bulgarians. They convinced him he was a hero and he went with them, only to be treated like a slave. Still, it was good that he learned about the outside world and how things really were. Maybe this is Voltaire's way of making fun of royalty, or mocking them, showing them as a people who have no real clue as to what's actually going on and their ignorance towards the common man. Still, Candide is just overwhelmingly naïve. Also, does it might seem as if Voltaire was making fun of the church, or religion, attacking them for manipulating people's minds and not helping others. This might occur where Candide is in Holland and he is not helped by a man who asks him if he believes "the Pope to be Antichrist" because Candide has no idea who he is. The "mockery" of the church might also be seen when, after being cursed by the religious man, Candide is helped and aided by a man who is not a christian, perhaps showing the hypocrisy of the Church where its followers don't help others even though it is a basic "rule" of the church.

"Ignorance is Bliss," this might fit into the novel due to the fact that Candide, despite living in ignorance and naïtivity, lives in complete happiness. He lives in one of, if not the, greatest castle in all of Westphalia and the world, he eats well and he learns "everything" with his teacher. He believes everything he knows to be real because he believes his teacher tells him he is the greatest philosopher in the world. He is naïve enough to believe this, but he lives happy because he believes what he knows to be completely true. Even when he is in Holland, and people are taking advantage of him or frowing upon him, he still believes his ideas to be true, and continues to praise his teacher Pangloss. "Now I am convinced that my Master Pangloss told me truth when he said that everything was for the best in this world; for I am infinitely more affected with your extraordinary generosity than with the inhumanity of that gentleman in the black cloak and his wife." (Voltaire, Candide).